Murder for Nothing Page 14

  Susan dished out puddings and sauce. ‘Hah! When hell freezes over.’

  Angelica said, tears sparkling, ‘How can you say that Jake was slumming it? He was really serious about me until that horrid girl Kate told on him to his parents and everything went wrong.’

  Ellie said, ‘How did you come to be at this pub, Angelica? You don’t usually expect to pay for yourself, do you? And you’re not a student of anything.’

  A wriggle. ‘If boys like to treat me to a drink, why shouldn’t I enjoy myself, too?’

  Ellie persisted. ‘You organized a party to impress Jake at your cousin’s flat because you knew it would be empty. Who else did you invite?’

  ‘Well, Timmy, I suppose. But it doesn’t really work like that. You tell the people you want to be there, and they tell others, and they all come and bring some drink and we have fun.’

  Ellie said, ‘But you went out of your way to invite Milos the drug dealer to send someone as well. How did you know him?’

  TEN

  Monday suppertime

  A shrug. Angelica said, ‘I didn’t know him. You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t invite him. Clay – you know him? He’s always in the pub, offering pills for this and that … Well, he heard I was having a party and he said everyone would enjoy themselves more if he came along, and I agreed without realizing what he meant.’

  Ellie’s eyebrows rose and so did Rafael’s. Did the girl really think they’d swallow that?

  Susan said, ‘Ha!’ and dealt out dessert spoons to everyone. ‘Eat up.’

  ‘It’s true,’ said Angelica earnestly. Perhaps she even believed it herself? ‘Clay knew lots of the people who came to the party. He was a student at the uni himself, once. Photography, I think. Till he dropped out.’ A wrinkle on the perfect brow. ‘I think the pub banned him recently but he still hangs around, like, and people can always get his phone number if they want it.’

  ‘And you didn’t know he worked for Milos?’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  ‘Pull the other one,’ said Rafael. ‘But I’m interested to know what sort of cut Clay was going to give you?’

  Another wriggle. ‘You make it sound so horrid! It wasn’t like that at all. He just said that he’d love to come to the party and he’d make sure I wasn’t out of pocket. I had all these horrid bills to pay, and it’s no fun not being able to afford pretty things, so of course I said he could come, and I didn’t know there was going to be trouble, did I?’

  ‘What sort of “trouble” are we talking about?’

  Lowered eyes. ‘How should I know? People getting high. Pushing and shoving. You know. I don’t like to think of such things.’

  ‘Come on, now,’ said Rafael. ‘You nicked the proceeds after the fight, or whatever it was. Probably just a scuffle? So you must have been there when fists were thrown around. You told us that it was only because this man Clay got knocked about in a fight that he gave you his stash to take care of.’

  Angelica threw off a tinkling laugh. ‘Oh, no! I didn’t see what happened, honest! He came reeling out of the sitting room with blood on his face and thrust this package at me, but then Jake came and I was trying to talk to him and hardly took in what Clay was saying. It was a real shock to me when I found out what he’d given me, and that’s why I hid it. And now someone’s stolen it from me, and you’re all looking at me as if I had done something dreadful, when all I was doing was trying to give my friends a good time.’

  Ellie started to say, ‘But—’ and got cut off.

  Angelica said, ‘Look, everyone at the party was grown up, like. They didn’t have to buy anything from Clay if they didn’t want to, did they? I don’t know how he got hurt and I don’t want to know. I was upset when Jake said he didn’t like my party when I’d been to all that trouble to set it up. Then I spotted Kate arriving and I didn’t want them to meet, of course I didn’t. So when Jake left I followed him, and then …’ Tears spilled over. ‘He went off down the road, and I …’ Gulp, gulp. ‘I was so miserable that when Timmy came along I agreed to go clubbing, only then I thought that Jake might call me and I remembered I had all that money on me, so I said he should drop me here and I know nothing at all about anything else, so there!’

  Andy hadn’t been listening. He got up with a sudden movement. ‘I’m going to ring Lesley, see how she is. If she can’t answer I’ll get hold of the ward sister or someone. I shouldn’t have left her.’ Off he went, getting out his mobile phone.

  ‘Better late than never,’ said Rafael, looking after Andy as he left.

  Angelica half rose from her seat. Was she really going to try to follow Andy? Um, no. He’d been too quick for her this time. The girl sat down again, looking flushed. Pouting.

  Ellie was not at all sure that Andy going after Lesley was a good thing. If he wanted to stick to Lesley, was that the best thing that could happen to her? Wouldn’t it be better for her if she had a clean break and took another dip into the marriage market later? But she had chosen to marry Andy, and in Ellie’s book marriage was for life, so … Ellie shook her head. It wasn’t her business. Her job was to find out what had happened to that poor girl Kate. She said, ‘Angelica, who else did you invite to the party?’

  A twist of the shoulders. ‘No one. Everyone.’

  Rafael tipped his chair back. ‘Let me think who she’d have invited. There’s a couple of girls who frequent the Queen’s Head. Gina and her friend, what’s her name … Jess? They hunt as a pair. They’re waitresses at one of the coffee shops in the Broadway, aren’t they? Always up for a spot of fun. Or so I’ve heard. No personal experience.’

  Ellie said, ‘Angelica, didn’t you say earlier that you’d told the police about two girls who arrived when you were about to leave the party? Are those the ones you meant? Gina and Jess?’

  ‘I suppose.’ Her colour had risen. Why?

  ‘Where can we find them?’

  ‘Dunno. At the pub, I suppose. That’s where they go in the evenings. But, honest, it’s no use thinking you’d get any sense out of them. They’re both slags.’

  Susan looked thoughtful. ‘I know them both by sight. They are not slags. And you wouldn’t have invited them if they had been. They’re all right. They’re hard-working girls who like to party, yes, but I’ve heard they always turn up on time for their shifts the following day. They’re older than most of the students. They’re streetwise and not into drugs. If they were at the party, they could at least tell us who else was there. They’re probably at the pub by now. Rafael, they may not have heard about Kate’s death and have no idea that the police might be interested in what they saw on Saturday night. Perhaps you could ask them what they know?’

  Rafael said, ‘You want me to fetch them for you to interrogate?’

  Susan dimpled. ‘You might as well make yourself useful.’

  He got up and bowed. ‘Your wish is my command.’

  ‘I wish,’ said Susan. She glowed with the knowledge that she was desirable. Her hair twisted in golden-red curls around her head. Her skin was nectarine-soft. Her bosom swelled. Her bosom was remarkable, and Rafael was very aware of it.

  He looked at his watch. ‘Mrs Quicke, is this all right by you? It won’t take me long to see if one or both of the girls are in the pub.’

  ‘Ridiculous!’ said Angelica. ‘As if anything those two tarts said could be of interest. Trust me: they’d make up any sort of lies to get their pictures in the papers.’

  Ellie wondered why Angelica was getting so aerated. She also wondered what sort of stories the two girls would tell which might upset Angelica.

  Susan clashed mugs on to the table. ‘Rafael, you may have your coffee on your return, right?’

  ‘Never fear, my dear! Neither of them will ever stir my pulse as you do. Think of me as the cat sent to bring back the mouse. Will either one of them do, Susan? I can only fit one at a time on the back of the bike.’ And off he went.

  Andy put his head round the door. ‘They’re not happy about
Lesley. I’m going back to the hospital to see if they’ll let me sit beside her.’ He vanished, too.

  Susan said, ‘I’m beginning to wonder what else Little Miss Angel Face has been up to. What time did you say you left the party, Angelica?’

  The girl tossed her curls. ‘I’m not staying here to be accused of all sorts when I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I shall go up to my room for some peace and quiet.’

  Susan piled plates into the dishwasher, saying, ‘I only asked what time you left. Why does that upset you? Oh, and don’t forget you’re in the small guest room tonight.’

  Angelica flounced out. She had a pretty rear end and knew how to make the most of it.

  Ellie covered the leftovers from supper with cling film and stowed them in the fridge. Susan was hovering, frowning to herself. Ellie said, ‘Yes, Susan? What is it?’

  Susan shut the door to the corridor. That door was usually kept open, so she must require secrecy for what she had to say. She also put her finger to her lips, enjoining silence.

  Then she set the dishwasher going. More noise, to cover her softly spoken words. ‘Will you come upstairs with me, Mrs Quicke? I may be completely wrong, but I have a horrid feeling that we might find something in my flat which doesn’t belong to me.’

  Ellie also lowered her voice. ‘Really? We cleared out the bedroom Angelica had been using and there was nothing untoward there. She hid the drugs and drug money in Thomas’s Quiet Room because he’d annoyed her. You’ve annoyed her even more, but I can’t think of anything that she could have planted in your rooms that might worry you.’

  Susan’s expression showed that she didn’t like her suspicions. ‘I know. I’m probably way off the mark, but you and I and Thomas all went to church yesterday morning, while madam said she was too tired to come. She was alone in the house all morning. I just have a nasty idea that it might be as well to check.’

  Ellie nodded. ‘Straight away.’ She opened the door to the corridor and blenched at the noise. Angelica didn’t care who else she inconvenienced when she wanted to play pop music, did she?

  The two women trod quietly up the stairs to the first floor, and then took the second, smaller staircase to the attic.

  Ellie said, ‘I’ll take the sitting room and you the kitchen.’

  Susan said, ‘Mrs Quicke, would you mind if we stuck together and didn’t search separately? If there is anything wrong here, I want us to witness that we found it together.’

  Ellie nodded. ‘You’re right. That’s only sensible. Sitting room first.’ She threw open the door. Everything looked fresh and neat. There were no obvious places where you could conceal something. And, in any case, what would that ‘something’ be? They moved chairs and tables, looked through magazines and CDs. Nothing.

  ‘Where would you hide something, Susan? It can’t be anywhere obvious that you’d find when you did routine cleaning. Let’s try to think like Angelica. She’s sneaking upstairs with a bundle of something she wants to hide. Where would she go? I think … the kitchen?’

  They went into the kitchen. Susan had washed up her breakfast things before she went out that day. Susan pulled out drawers in the fridge/freezer. And shook her head.

  Ellie started on the cupboards. ‘We don’t know what we’re looking for.’

  Susan said, ‘Something quite small, I think.’

  It wasn’t that small.

  Ellie found it in what might once have been called a ‘broom cupboard’ which had been created out of the space under the eaves. The cupboard now contained the vacuum cleaner, a rudimentary toolkit, boxes of candles for emergency use and a bag of batteries for the smoke alarm, the remote control and so on.

  ‘What on earth?’ Ellie fished a plastic bag out from behind the toolbox and opened it up.

  It was a woman’s clutch purse with a diamante letter on the front. It wasn’t large as such things go. It wasn’t one you would take out for a dinner party, but something you might tote around for a visit to a pub or an informal get-together.

  Susan gasped. ‘Is that …? That’s not Angelica’s, is it?’

  Ellie took the plastic bag to the kitchen, shook out the purse and opened it up. Her fingers trembled and she had some difficulty with the catch.

  Susan’s voice wobbled. ‘That’s a “K” for Kate, isn’t it?’

  Ellie nodded. She upended the purse and out fell a diary, a lipstick, some used tissues, a comb, pressed face powder and an empty wallet. Well, the wallet was empty but for a travel card with a picture of a redheaded girl on it. A clean tissue tucked into a side pocket held something that glittered: a fragile necklace in gold filigree. Also a pair of diamond-chip earrings.

  Ellie backed away. ‘I shouldn’t have touched the purse. Fingerprints.’

  ‘These are Kate’s things?’ said Susan, unable to believe the evidence of her eyes. ‘Angelica killed her? And then she robbed the body to hide her identity? I can’t believe it! How could she?’

  Ellie shook her head. She didn’t know how anyone could do that, either.

  Susan held out the wallet. ‘No money. I suppose Angelica’s spent it already. But the jewellery? It’s pretty recognizable. Do you think she kept it with the intention of selling it later?’

  Ellie couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘I can’t make sense of this. Angelica couldn’t have killed Kate, could she? No, I don’t believe it!’

  Susan gestured to Kate’s belongings. ‘I wouldn’t have thought she’d be up to stealing from a corpse, either, but here’s the proof. What do we do now?’

  ‘So you found the stuff?’ Angelica had arrived, unheard. ‘I thought to myself, who would want to steal from a corpse and the answer, of course, was Susan. I’m glad you’ve found it, Mrs Quicke. Now Susan can pay for what she’s done.’

  ‘What!’ A red tide rose up in Susan’s face. ‘Angelica, does this mean what I think it means? Did you kill Kate?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Outraged.

  ‘Then you found her lying in the garden, dead. And robbed her? Surely not even you would do that!’

  Angelica bounced on her toes. ‘Nothing of the sort. You know perfectly well that I left the party early. No, this is proof that you did it. I suppose you thought we wouldn’t look in your rooms for the missing things.’

  Susan gasped. ‘But Angelica, I didn’t! I wouldn’t!’

  ‘You were back very late on Saturday night. Long after I’d gone to bed. I suppose you went to the party after I’d left, had words with Kate and killed her. Possibly by accident? Or maybe you found the body lying in the garden and thought you’d help yourself to the girl’s money and jewellery.’

  ‘No!’ cried Susan. ‘I never went near the place—’

  ‘Of course you did. You said yourself that you had a key and were going in to water the pot plants.’

  ‘Yes, but—’

  ‘I don’t know how you think you could get away with it!’

  Ellie said, ‘Angelica, stop that!’

  Angelica stopped.

  Susan was a fiery red. Was she going to cry?

  Ellie knew that some people, even when completely innocent, reddened with embarrassment when accused of a crime. Susan was one of them. It was just possible that Susan might kill someone if she were attacked, or perhaps by accident, but Susan was not, definitely not, a grave robber. Therefore, she did not hide these things in her flat.

  Ellie said, ‘Angelica, did you kill Kate?’

  ‘Certainly not!’ Maybe she was speaking the truth for once.

  Ellie didn’t know what to think. ‘We won’t touch anything but let the police check for fingerprints. Let them decide who robbed the body and take it from there.’

  ‘Let me see!’ Quick as a flash, Angelica reached out to pick up the purse.

  Ellie realized what the girl was up to. She was going to put her own fingerprints over any others which were already on the purse. Why? To disguise the fact that they were already there, which would prove that she’d handled it earlier? If she
were quick enough, she’d then go on to touch the wallet, which someone had already handled because there was no money left in it. And if Angelica succeeded in touching everything on the table now, in front of witnesses, there would be no proof that she had ever seen them before.

  Fortunately Angelica was on the far side of the table and had to reach right over to touch the purse. So Ellie grabbed Angelica’s arm and bore down on it with all her weight, pushing it down on to the table top and holding it there … inches before she could reach Kate’s things.

  ‘Ow! Let go!’ cried Angelica.

  Ellie continued to hold Angelica’s hand down. ‘Susan, get a plastic bag and, without touching anything yourself, use a spoon or tongs or something to shovel everything from the purse into a clean bag. Particularly the wallet.’

  Angelica screamed and tried to tug her hand loose. ‘Let me go! You’re hurting me!’

  Susan scrambled to obey Ellie, putting the contents, including the original plastic wrapping, into a large freezer bag.

  Only then did Ellie release her hold on Angelica, who whimpered and held her wrist. ‘You’ve sprained my wrist! Ow! Ow! It hurts! I’m going to sue you for defamation of character and assault! Look, there’s a bruise coming up already.’

  ‘Serves you jolly well right,’ said Susan, carefully easing the purse into a second clean plastic bag. ‘We’ll give these to the police and let them sort out who touched which items first.’

  Angelica made a wild lunge, trying to wrest the bags from Susan’s hand. Susan was taller and held them up high above her head. Angelica tried to jump up to get them and failed.

  Ellie said, ‘Calm down, Angelica. If you’re innocent then the police will clear you—’

  ‘I am! I am. It’s Susan who murdered Kate and stole her things!’

  ‘If the police find that Susan touched them, then they’ll know what to do about it. But I think they’re going to find your fingerprints, aren’t they, Angelica? How did you come by Kate’s things?’

  Was Angelica going to resort to tears, as usual? But no, she wasn’t giving in so quickly. ‘It was Susan, not me!’